Chapter 131 The Truth About the Governor's Mansion

From Zhang Chengye's words, Ye Yang could at least judge one piece of information: He Haoyu had known for a long time that Zhang Chengye's grandfather was from a family of executioners.

He was unwilling to reveal his birth date under torture, perhaps hoping to escape death.

This was a great risk for He Haoyu.

A slight carelessness in術道 (Shudao – the Way of Arts) duels could lead to eternal damnation. Was his reliance on daring to fight against術士 (Shushi – practitioners of Shudao) families just because of his skill and courage?

Zhang Chengye took a sip of tea and continued, "My grandfather certainly wouldn't give up. If He Haoyu didn't die, the Zhang family could only be executioners. The Zhang family has been executioners for five generations. How could outsiders understand the bitterness in that?"

"But my grandfather was just an executioner, a person of little importance. Just getting to the gate of the Governor's Mansion required relying on many connections, let alone killing someone inside."

"My grandfather guarded the gate of the Governor's Mansion day and night, wanting to kill He Haoyu. But he never saw him come out. He Haoyu seemed to be rooted inside the Governor's Mansion, never leaving the gate even half a step. The furthest he went was standing at the gate of the Governor's Mansion."

"From that position, you could only hit him with a gun, but who would dare stand at the gate of the Governor's Mansion with a gun and aim inside?"

Zhang Chengye shook his head and said, "My grandfather guarded outside the Governor's Mansion for five years. Finally, he waited until someone attacked the Governor's Mansion. He followed them in. In that battle, even the governor was killed, but He Haoyu disappeared without a trace."

"Because our Zhang family couldn't kill He Haoyu, we could only continue in the executioner's trade."

Ye Yang asked, "How do you know He Haoyu didn't die?"

"He definitely didn't die!" Zhang Chengye said, "My father and I both tried to wash our hands of the trade. Each time, the clear water turned to blood. That means He Haoyu must still be alive."

Ye Yang said in a deep voice, "If He Haoyu didn't die, he should be over a hundred years old now, right?"

"Even older than that!" Zhang Chengye said, "If my grandfather were alive, he would be a hundred and fifty or sixty years old now. He Haoyu was about the same age as him when he was supposed to be executed!"

Zhang Chengye said, "Mr. Ye, actually, even if you hadn't come to me, I was planning to take a trip to the Governor's Mansion."

Zhang Chengye pointed to Zhang Qiang, "For this kid, even if I have to risk my life, I have to take a shot at the Governor's Mansion!"

"The executioner's trade has declined. In my younger days, I could still use a gun to carry out executions. But when I got older, there were no fixed people to carry out executions."

"Nowadays, the公门 (Gongmen – officialdom) Shushi, coroners, and jailers still exist, but executioners have left the Gongmen. Some rely on ancestral secrets to wander the martial world, while others have to switch to other trades."

Zhang Chengye's eyes turned red as he said this, "Since the Zhang family can't be executioners in the Yang world, they can only mix in the underworld."

"My father went to the underworld for my sake, and my son left for Zhang Qiang's sake. If the Zhang family doesn't do this trade, they have to fill it with their own lives!"

"I'm already this old. This little bastard Zhang Qiang doesn't even have a wife. When I kick the bucket, he won't be able to avoid joining the trade!"

"How many years can I still live? If Zhang Qiang gets married and has children now, how long can I protect him? When I die and he leaves, who will pass on the Zhang family's secrets? Without the secrets, and without being able to kill He Haoyu, wouldn't the Zhang family be cut off at the root?"

Ye Yang quietly listened to him finish speaking before saying, "What did Zhang Qiang go to the Governor's Mansion for?"

Zhang Chengye burst into curses, "This little bastard just doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. He has to study the Governor's Mansion. I don't know what he's researching. He learned a little bit and thinks he can subdue demons and eliminate monsters. He wants to run to the Governor's Mansion every day. Damn it..."

Ye Yang looked at Zhang Qiang and said, "What results have you come up with?"

Zhang Qiang said, "The Governor's Mansion doesn't actually exist!"

"Hmm?" Ye Yang frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Qiang said, "I discovered that the Governor's Mansion is choosing people. When it wants you to see it, it's in the suburbs of Nanfeng City. When it doesn't want you to see it, it's just a wasteland."

Zhang Qiang took out a large pile of photos and hand-drawn sketches and placed them on the table. "I can't find any information about the Governor's Mansion in the archives, not even in the local gazetteer."

"Also, look here." Zhang Qiang took out a map, "The area near the Governor's Mansion is marked as empty land. Now there's real estate development everywhere. Is it reasonable that such a large piece of empty land isn't being used?"

"Also, if everyone knew about the Governor's Mansion, it should at least be turned into a museum or a cultural relic protection unit. But the Governor's Mansion seems to have disappeared out of thin air in Yecheng. No one mentions it!"

"I asked around the neighborhood. Some people said that there used to be a Governor's Mansion there. Later, they didn't know where it went. The people nearby all said that the grass there was too deep, that many people had died there before, and that it was often haunted. It was easy to get possessed by ghosts if you went there. So no one went there."

Ye Yang casually flipped through the data and said, "What about these photos? Didn't you say that no one can see the Governor's Mansion? Can you see it?"